How a Resume Can Catch the Eye of Diversity-Minded Employers

By Perri Capell

How can you let an organization know that you can contribute to
its diversity needs without stating your race on your resume?

Question: I constantly read that companies are seeking
diversity in their senior ranks, but I've
been told I shouldn't
state my race on a resume. So how can you
let an organization
know that you can contribute to its
diversity needs? Is there a
way to do this without appearing to ask
for special treatment?
-- John M. Williams, Atlanta

John: You're right about this being an issue that
requires sensitivity. Federal equal employment opportunity
laws prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of race,
religion, gender and other preferences.

Assume you immediately tell recruiters on the phone that
you're a member of a minority or put it at the top of your
resume. Some employers might take this as a sign that you'd
make it an issue if you weren't hired.

But since many employers do want to see women or people of
color on the final slate of candidates for senior roles, it
makes sense for minority executives to identify themselves as
such when contacting recruiters about openings. If your
skills and experience match the job's requirements, they may
want to submit you for consideration.

So how do you do this? By making your race, gender or other
preference your primary qualification, recruiters may feel
you don't have much else to offer. "We would think that you
don't have anything else to push," says Patrick M. Prout,
president and chief executive officer of The Prout Group
Inc., a New York recruiting firm that specializes in
diversity.

Virginia Clarke, Chicago-based leader of the global diversity
practice for recruiter Spencer Stuart, says she fears that
candidates who mention their race immediately might be
litigious. "It would make me really nervous," she says. "I'd
wonder why they feel they need to lead with that."

Despite the advice of some career counselors to never mention
race on a resume, this document is actually the place to make
it known, say recruiters. But you must do so subtly.

One of the best ways is to mention academic connections or
professional activities that are minority related. For
instance, did you attend one of the traditionally black U.S.
colleges? Are or were you a member of any minority-oriented
fraternities or sororities? Do you currently belong to a
professional association for minorities, such as the National
Society of Hispanic MBAs or the National Society of Black
Engineers?

Be sure to mention any and all of these identifiers, since
recruiters seeking diversity candidates look for them on a
resume, says Ms. Clarke. "You don't have to be heavy handed
or supply a photo," she says. "There are so many ways it can
be done subtly, and recruiters and human resources
professionals can pick it up."

If you lack such professional affiliations, mention any civic
or employment-related committees you belong to that are
minority related. Perhaps you are part of a community group
helping to generate minority businesses in your area or have
been on a diversity-related committee at one of your
employers. Both would be good things to list because they
offer hints about your background.

Mr. Prout says candidates also can give clues about their
race during follow-up telephone conversations. Those who ask
about an organization's commitment to diversity or who say
they are interested in working for companies that are
strongly committed to diversity are telegraphing that they
are members of minorities, he says.

During phone conversations, Ms. Clarke says she often tells
candidates that a particular client has a real interest in
diversity. "Then the person will say, 'I'm African-American,'
or 'I'm not a member of a minority, but let me recommend
someone who is,'" she says. This is OK because the issue has
come up in the course of a conversation.

Naturally, a minority candidate can't expect to be considered
or hired on the basis of race alone. Nor would most minority
executives ever want that. But nowadays, companies believe
that diversifying their employee ranks is good for business
and seek ways to legally identify job hunters with diverse
backgrounds, says Ms. Clarke.

She says she understands that some job seekers may fear that
they'll be screened out instead of screened in if they
include minority affiliations on their resumes. However, she
notes, "If a company screens someone out because of [a
race-related affiliation on a resume], it's probably a
company that the person wouldn't want to work for."

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